dave marshall guitar studio

I would like to share some of the many arrangements I have made for myself, friends and students over the years.

(For the sheet music, click on the title, for the sound clip, click on the speaker icon.)

I plan to add many additional entries here as time permits.  I hope you enjoy them and will check back often.

 

Classical

  Nel cor piu non mi sento   

(English translation:No longer do I feel)

Giovanni Paisiello (1740-1816). This is a duet in the Italian opera, La Molinara (The Miller Maid).  Beethoven liked it so much he wrote six variations on the theme for piano.

  Allegretto  

Fernando Carulli was one of the most famous composers for classical guitar and the author of the first complete classical guitar method, which continues to be used today. He wrote approximately 400 works for classical guitar, including concertosand chamber works. His Allegretto is a fun piece to play, with it's sustained E bass when going from the E chord to A and back to E. The "me

tallic" marking I give in the 9th measure means to play close to the bridge to produce a high-pitched metallic tone. It can, like all suggested colorations, be ignored.

 

Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring   

Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring was one of the first pieces I ever arranged for guitar.  It was in the key of A using dropped D tuning (see my Dropped D Guitar book).  Many students found it a little difficult, so I transposed it to the key of G, with appropriate bass modifications.  Interestingly, most key of G renditions delete the middle section for reasons unclear to me.  Perhaps it has something to do with holding the G bass while going through several chord changes: G, G7, C6, D7, and G6.  To ease the playing, I like to play with the capo on the 3^rd fret.  The effect is bright and gives it a lightness that I find pleasing.  Playing in G with the capo on 3 yields the key of Bb, pitch wise.

 

Folk/Traditional

 

The Water Is Wide 

The Water Is Wide (also called O Waly, Waly) is thought to be an  English or Scottish folk tune that has been sung since the 1600s. 

Cindy, Cindy  

Originally a plantation song named Cindy Ann, Cindy, Cindy is a popular fiddle and banjo folksong. According to John Lomax, the song originated in North Carolina.

 

Nancy Whiskey   

Also known as Calton Weaver, this is a fun traditional Scottish tune that is a "love song" between a weaver and his whiskey.  Like all folk tunes, there are as many variations of this tune as there are guitarists who play it.

 Wild Mountian Thyme   

This Scottish tune is usually played in 4/4 time; however, I subconsciously transcribe it to 6/8 even while reading the 4/4 time signature. I decided to give in and arrange it in 6/8^th time. I hope you enjoy it.

 

South Wind    

South Wind is a beautiful and ancient Irish folk tune.  I first heard it in the summer of 2008 at a local farmer’s market being played on the hammer dulcimer.  I found many versions on the web, but the one I liked best was on a site dedicated to the penny whistle.  I tried to capture some of the effects of this wonderful Irish instrument in this arrangement.  

 

Si Bheag Si Mhor   

Turlough O'Carolan

This may well have been O'Carolan ‘s first tune.  It means “Little Fairy, Big Fairy and reflects a mythical battle between two fairy hills.  I first heard it a few months ago (May 2009), and think it is one of his finest works.  My arrangement borrows on ornamentation techniques of the penny whistle I found on the web.

 

 

THE BLUES

 Careless Love    

This is an early folk tune picked up by many greats in the entertainment world: Bessie Smith, Elvis, Ray Charles, to name a few.  I arranged it in a Merl Travis style, which means it should be played with a thumb pick and the bass strings are slightly muted.  This gives it a bouncy upbeat sound.  It's fun to play and is a favorite of mine.

 St. James Infirmary 

This is an early folk blues in a minor key. Its source is an 18th Century English folk song called The Unfortunate Rake.